CN108155405B - Fuel cell stack device and fuel cell device - Google Patents

Fuel cell stack device and fuel cell device Download PDF

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Publication number
CN108155405B
CN108155405B CN201711213433.5A CN201711213433A CN108155405B CN 108155405 B CN108155405 B CN 108155405B CN 201711213433 A CN201711213433 A CN 201711213433A CN 108155405 B CN108155405 B CN 108155405B
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fuel
cell
stack
cell group
fuel cell
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CN108155405A (en
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渡边直树
大塚俊治
川上晃
坪井文雄
松尾卓哉
星子琢也
田中修平
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Sencun suofek Technology Co., Ltd
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Sencun Suofek Technology Co ltd
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Priority claimed from JP2017183330A external-priority patent/JP7037312B2/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/06—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
    • H01M8/0606—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/0612—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants from carbon-containing material
    • H01M8/0618—Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/002—Shape, form of a fuel cell
    • H01M8/004—Cylindrical, tubular or wound
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04014—Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04014—Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants
    • H01M8/04022—Heating by combustion
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04067—Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins
    • H01M8/04074—Heat exchange unit structures specially adapted for fuel cell
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
    • H01M8/04089—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/06—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
    • H01M8/0606—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/0612—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants from carbon-containing material
    • H01M8/0625—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants from carbon-containing material in a modular combined reactor/fuel cell structure
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/06—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
    • H01M8/0662—Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/241—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes
    • H01M8/2425—High-temperature cells with solid electrolytes
    • H01M8/243—Grouping of unit cells of tubular or cylindrical configuration
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2465—Details of groupings of fuel cells
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2465—Details of groupings of fuel cells
    • H01M8/247—Arrangements for tightening a stack, for accommodation of a stack in a tank or for assembling different tanks
    • H01M8/2475—Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2465—Details of groupings of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2484—Details of groupings of fuel cells characterised by external manifolds
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2465—Details of groupings of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2484—Details of groupings of fuel cells characterised by external manifolds
    • H01M8/2485—Arrangements for sealing external manifolds; Arrangements for mounting external manifolds around a stack
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/249—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells comprising two or more groupings of fuel cells, e.g. modular assemblies
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
    • F28D21/00—Heat-exchange apparatus not covered by any of the groups F28D1/00 - F28D20/00
    • F28D2021/0019—Other heat exchangers for particular applications; Heat exchange systems not otherwise provided for
    • F28D2021/0043—Other heat exchangers for particular applications; Heat exchange systems not otherwise provided for for fuel cells
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/10—Fuel cells with solid electrolytes
    • H01M8/12—Fuel cells with solid electrolytes operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte
    • H01M2008/1293—Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M2300/00—Electrolytes
    • H01M2300/0017—Non-aqueous electrolytes
    • H01M2300/0065—Solid electrolytes
    • H01M2300/0068—Solid electrolytes inorganic
    • H01M2300/0071—Oxides
    • H01M2300/0074—Ion conductive at high temperature
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/50—Fuel cells

Abstract

The invention provides a fuel cell stack device which can be applied to miniaturization of the device and does not need a pipe for sending waste gas to a combustion part. Specifically, the device is provided with: a 1 st flow divider (2a) connected to the upper ends of the plurality of fuel cells provided in the 1 st stack (10a) and configured to supply the fuel gas supplied from the reformer (12) to the plurality of fuel cells provided in the 1 st stack from above; and a 2 nd flow divider (2b) connected to the lower ends of the plurality of fuel cells provided in the 2 nd stack (10b) for recovering the fuel gas discharged from the 1 st stack and supplying the recovered fuel gas to the plurality of fuel cells provided in the 2 nd stack from below.

Description

Fuel cell stack device and fuel cell device
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fuel cell stack device and a fuel cell device. In particular, the present invention relates to a fuel cell stack device and a fuel cell device that generate electric power by a reaction between a fuel gas obtained by reforming a raw material gas and an oxidant gas.
Background
A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (hereinafter also referred to as "SOFC") is a Fuel Cell device including a Fuel Cell unit composed of a Solid electrolyte having Oxide ion conductivity as an electrolyte and electrodes disposed on both sides of the Solid electrolyte. In addition, the solid oxide fuel cell device is a device for extracting electric power in which a plurality of fuel cells are arranged in a module case, and power is generated by supplying a fuel gas to one electrode (fuel electrode) of the fuel cells and an oxidant gas (air, oxygen, or the like) to the other electrode (air electrode) through a power generation reaction. Solid oxide fuel cell devices operate at relatively high temperatures, for example, about 700 to 1000 ℃, compared to other fuel cell devices such as polymer electrolyte fuel cell devices.
As fuel cells used in a solid oxide fuel cell device, a flat cylindrical cell described in patent document 1, a cylindrical cell described in patent document 2, a cylindrical horizontal bar described in patent document 3, and the like are known.
However, such a fuel cell device is required to have a high fuel utilization rate (Uf) and a high power generation efficiency. In order to improve the fuel utilization rate and the power generation efficiency, a cascade-type fuel cell device having a two-layer structure has been proposed as described in patent documents 4 and 5, in which a fuel cell is divided into 2 cell groups as a first layer and a second layer, respectively, and fuel gas remaining in power generation of the fuel cell of the first layer is supplied to the fuel cell of the second layer to promote cascade utilization of the fuel gas.
Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2015-082389
Patent document 2: japanese patent No. 5234554 gazette
Patent document 3: japanese unexamined patent publication Hei 7-130385
Patent document 4: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2016-100136
Patent document 5: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2016-100138
Disclosure of Invention
However, it is difficult to apply the cascade-type fuel cell having the two-layer structure to a fuel cell stack and a fuel cell device using conventional cylindrical fuel cells. This is because the structure of the fuel cell device becomes complicated, and there arises a problem that downsizing of the fuel cell device is hindered.
In particular, in the fuel cell device, a reformer is heated by burning a fuel gas (off gas) that is not used for power generation, and the reformer reforms a raw material gas into a fuel gas containing hydrogen. However, in the case of applying a fuel cell having a two-layer structure, when the fuel gas is supplied to the primary-side fuel cell from below the fuel cell, the fuel gas that is not used in the primary-side fuel cell is folded back above the fuel cell. The fuel gas is supplied to the secondary side fuel cell. Therefore, although the off-gas is discharged from below the secondary-side fuel cell, in such a case, a pipe for sending the off-gas to a combustion portion provided above the existing fuel cell is required.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. The problem to be solved is to provide a simple device which can be applied to miniaturization while suppressing complication in a cascade type fuel cell stack device having a two-layer structure using columnar fuel cells. In particular, it is an object to provide a fuel cell stack device that does not require piping for sending exhaust gas to a combustion section.
The present invention is a fuel cell stack device for generating electricity by a reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, comprising: a plurality of columnar fuel cells each having a gas flow path extending in a longitudinal direction therein; a plurality of stacks including a plurality of fuel cells arranged in parallel with each other in a longitudinal direction, and including a 1 st stack and a 2 nd stack arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; a reformer for reforming a raw material gas into a fuel gas containing hydrogen; a 1 st flow divider connected to upper ends of the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st stack and configured to supply the fuel gas supplied from the reformer to the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st stack from above; and a 2 nd flow divider connected to lower ends of the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd stack, for recovering the fuel gas discharged from the 1 st stack and supplying the recovered fuel gas to the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd stack from below, wherein the reformer is disposed above the 2 nd stack, a combustion section is provided between the plurality of columnar fuel cells included in the 2 nd stack and the reformer, and the reformer and the 1 st flow divider are connected by a connection section, are formed integrally, and have a U-shape.
According to the present invention having the above configuration, the residual fuel gas used in the 1 st cell group flows into the 2 nd cell group and is further consumed, so that the fuel utilization rate can be improved. Further, since the residual fuel gas used in the 1 st cell group can be supplied to the 2 nd cell group without using a special pipe or a fuel gas distributor, the fuel cell stack can be easily downsized.
In addition, according to the present invention, since the fuel gas is supplied from the upper end of the 1 st stack and the fuel gas recovered by the 2 nd flow divider is supplied from the lower end of the 2 nd stack, the off-gas can be discharged from the upper end of the 2 nd stack. This makes it possible to convey the exhaust gas to the combustion section without providing a new pipe.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of stacks be constituted by only the 1 st stack and the 2 nd stack, and the 1 st stack and the 2 nd stack be constituted by a plurality of fuel cells arranged in a row.
According to the present invention, since the fuel cell stack device is constituted by only 2 rows of stacks, the fuel cell stack device can be miniaturized.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the reformer is disposed above the 2 nd stack as follows.
According to the present invention, it is not necessary to increase the structure of a conventional fuel cell device to form a cascade-type fuel cell.
One aspect of the fuel cell apparatus according to the present invention is a fuel cell apparatus including a plurality of columnar fuel cells for generating electricity by a fuel gas flowing through an internal flow path and an oxidant gas supplied to an outer surface, the plurality of fuel cells being constituted by a 1 st cell group and a 2 nd cell group, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group being erected with their respective internal flow paths communicating with an inside of a 2 nd flow divider, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group having their upper ends open so that the fuel gas not used for generating electricity is discharged from the upper ends and burned, the reformer being provided above the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group, the reformer supplies a fuel gas to the 1 st flow divider, a combustion unit is provided between the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group and the reformer, and the reformer and the 1 st flow divider are integrally connected by a connection portion and have a U-shape.
According to this aspect, the fuel gas used in the 1 st cell group is supplied to the 2 nd cell group and is further consumed in the 2 nd cell group, so the fuel utilization rate can be improved. Further, the fuel gas used in the 1 st cell group can be supplied to the 2 nd cell group without using a special pipe or a fuel gas distributor, and therefore, the fuel cell stack can be easily downsized.
In one aspect of the present invention, the length of the fuel cell included in the 1 st cell group in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the length of the fuel cell included in the 2 nd cell group in the longitudinal direction.
According to this aspect, the average cell voltage in the 1 st cell group can be made substantially the same as the average cell voltage in the 2 nd cell group by making the length of the fuel cell included in the 1 st cell group in the longitudinal direction shorter. Although the 1 st cell group tends to have a high cell potential due to a low partial pressure of water vapor, the potential can be adjusted by shortening the length of the cell to reduce the electrode area and increase the overvoltage. Therefore, the durability of the fuel cell can be ensured.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the fuel gas supplied to the 1 st flow divider is configured to be discharged after flowing through the fuel cell internal flow path included in the 1 st cell group, the 2 nd flow divider, and the fuel cell internal flow path included in the 2 nd cell group in this order.
According to this aspect, the fuel gas is consumed in the 1 st cell group, and then the fuel gas is consumed in the 2 nd cell group and discharged, whereby the unused gas can be burned. Therefore, the stack device can be easily mounted on the fuel cell module including the reformer.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group are electrically connected in series, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series, and the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series.
According to this aspect, the fuel utilization rate in the 1 st cell group and the fuel utilization rate in the 2 nd cell group can be specified by the current, and therefore, the fuel cell device can be made more efficient.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of fuel cell cells included in the 1 st cell group are electrically connected in series, the plurality of fuel cell cells included in the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series, and the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in parallel.
According to this aspect, since the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are connected in parallel, the current flowing through the 1 st cell group and the current flowing through the 2 nd cell group are balanced so that the potentials thereof become equal. This makes it possible to provide a fuel cell device having high durability.
In one aspect of the present invention, the 1 st diverter preferably has, in a plan view: two regions extending in the longitudinal direction of a cell group including a plurality of fuel cells, the plurality of fuel cells being arranged in a rectangular shape with respect to a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the fuel cells; and one region extending in the short-side direction of the cell group, wherein two regions extending in the long-side direction are connected to each other with the one region extending in the short-side direction interposed therebetween.
According to this aspect, the region where the unused gas discharged from the 2 nd cell group is burned is disposed in the substantially central portion of the fuel cell stack device, and therefore, heat dissipation can be reduced. As a result, the fuel cell stack device can be made more efficient.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the 1 st diverter is composed of a plurality of diverters as follows.
According to this aspect, the fuel cell device can be easily assembled by providing a plurality of shunts.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that a reformer for supplying the fuel gas to the 1 st splitter is provided above the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group, and a combustion unit is provided between the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group and the reformer.
According to this aspect, since the heat of the combustion unit can be efficiently transferred to the reformer, a highly efficient fuel cell device can be provided.
In addition, one aspect of the fuel cell apparatus according to the present invention is a fuel cell apparatus including a plurality of columnar fuel cells for generating electricity by a fuel gas flowing through an internal flow path and an oxidant gas supplied to an outer surface, the plurality of fuel cells being constituted by a 1 st cell group and a 2 nd cell group, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group being arranged upright with their internal flow paths communicating with an inside of a flow divider, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group being arranged above the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group in a longitudinal direction of the fuel cells via insulating communication members, the internal flow paths of the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group being communicated with the internal flow paths of the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group via insulating communication members, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group are electrically connected in series, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series, and the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected.
According to this aspect, since the 1 st cell group, the 2 nd cell group, and the 1 st and 2 nd cell groups are electrically connected in series, a large power generation area can be secured and a uniform current distribution can be achieved, and since the cascade type fuel cell device can be realized, a fuel cell device with high efficiency and high durability can be provided.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series as follows.
According to this aspect, the fuel utilization rate in the 1 st cell group and the fuel utilization rate in the 2 nd cell group can be specified by the current, and therefore, the fuel cell device can be made more efficient.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in parallel.
According to this aspect, since the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are connected in parallel, the current flowing through the 1 st cell group and the current flowing through the 2 nd cell group are balanced so that the potentials thereof become equal. This makes it possible to provide a fuel cell device having high durability.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the length of the fuel cell included in the 1 st cell group in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the length of the fuel cell included in the 2 nd cell group in the longitudinal direction.
According to this aspect, by reducing the length of the fuel cell included in the 1 st cell group in the longitudinal direction, the average cell voltage in the 1 st cell group can be made substantially the same as the average cell voltage in the 2 nd cell group. Although the cell potential of the 1 st cell group tends to increase due to a low partial pressure of water vapor, the potential can be adjusted by increasing the overvoltage because the electrode area can be reduced by shortening the length of the fuel cell. Therefore, the durability of the fuel cell can be ensured.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that 2 or more fuel cell units among the plurality of fuel cell units included in the 1 st cell group are joined by one insulating communicating member.
According to this aspect, the fuel utilization rate can be further improved by making the number of cells of the 2 nd cell group the same as that of the 1 st cell group or smaller than that of the fuel cell cells belonging to the 1 st cell group. Further, since the fuel utilization rate in the 1 st cell group can be made similar to the fuel utilization rate in the 2 nd cell group, the nernst loss can be aligned substantially the same, and variation in heat generation can be eliminated.
In addition, one aspect of the fuel cell apparatus according to the present invention is a fuel cell apparatus including a plurality of columnar fuel cells for generating electricity by a fuel gas flowing through an internal flow path and an oxidant gas supplied to an outer surface, the plurality of fuel cells being constituted by a 1 st cell group and a 2 nd cell group, the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group being arranged apart from each other, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group being connected and fixed at lower ends thereof such that the internal flow path communicates with an inside of the 1 st flow divider and at upper ends thereof such that the internal flow path communicates with an inside of the 2 nd flow divider, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group being connected and fixed at upper ends thereof such that the internal flow path communicates with an inside of the 2 nd flow divider and at lower ends thereof such that the internal flow path communicates with an inside of the 3 rd flow divider, the fuel gas supplied to the 1 st flow divider is configured to be discharged after flowing through the plurality of fuel cell internal flow channels included in the 1 st cell group, the 2 nd flow divider, the plurality of fuel cell internal flow channels included in the 2 nd cell group, and the 3 rd flow divider in this order, and the number of the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group is configured to be the same as or smaller than the number of the fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group.
According to this aspect, the fuel gas used in the 1 st cell group flows through the 2 nd cell group and is further consumed, so the fuel utilization rate of the fuel cell device can be improved. Since the fuel gas is consumed in two stages without significantly changing the arrangement of the single cells, a fuel cell device having high power generation efficiency and easy to manufacture can be provided.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the 1 st splitter and the 3 rd splitter are provided separately as follows.
According to this aspect, since the fuel cell device is arranged such that the unit cells are separated from each other and the flow dividers are also separated from each other, it is possible to provide a fuel cell device which is easy to assemble during manufacture.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the 1 st and 3 rd diverters are integrally configured as a single container, and the 1 st diverter that supplies the fuel gas to the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group and the 3 rd diverter that discharges the fuel gas discharged from the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group to the outside are separated in the container.
According to this aspect, since the plurality of shunts can be configured as one container, a fuel cell device which can be easily manufactured can be provided.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group are electrically connected in series, the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series, and the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series.
According to this aspect, the fuel utilization rate in the 1 st cell group and the fuel utilization rate in the 2 nd cell group can be specified by the current, and therefore, the fuel cell device can be made more efficient.
In one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of fuel cell cells included in the 1 st cell group are electrically connected in series, the plurality of fuel cell cells included in the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series, and the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in parallel.
According to this aspect, since the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are connected in parallel, the current flowing through the 1 st cell group and the current flowing through the 2 nd cell group are balanced so that the potentials thereof become equal. Therefore, the durability of the fuel cell can be ensured.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cascade-type fuel cell stack device and a fuel cell device having a two-layer structure, which use columnar fuel cells, in order to suppress the complexity of the device and to achieve a simple structure that can be applied to miniaturization. In particular, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fuel cell stack device and a fuel cell device that do not require a pipe for sending exhaust gas to a combustion section.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a side view for explaining the basic structure of a fuel cell stack device of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating fuel consumption of the fuel cell stack device of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, as viewed from the 1 st cell stack side.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, as viewed from the 2 nd stack side.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention as viewed from the 1 st cell stack side.
Fig. 6 is a side view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention as viewed from the 2 nd stack side.
Fig. 7 is a plan view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a partial horizontal cross-sectional view of the 1 st cell stack constituting the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Fig. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the 1 st flow divider of the fuel cell stack device according to the 1 st embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a connection portion between the lower end of a fuel cell and a 2 nd flow divider of a 1 st stack of a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a fuel cell according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.
Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a fuel cell according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.
Fig. 14 is a side view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.
Fig. 15 is a side view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.
Fig. 16 is a side view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.
Fig. 17 is a side view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.
Fig. 18 is a side view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.
Fig. 19 is a side view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.
Fig. 20 is a side view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.
Description of the symbols
1-fuel cell single cell (single cell); 1 a-fuel cell unit cell; 1 b-fuel cell unit cell; 2a- (1 st) shunt; 2b- (2 nd) shunt; 2b 1-chamber; 2b 2-chamber; 10 a-1 st cell stack (single cell group); 10 b-2 nd stack (single cell group); 12-a reformer; 12A-an evaporation section; 12B-a reforming section; 13A-supply tube; 13B-a supply tube; 14-a connecting portion; 18-a combustion section; 20-distribution pipes; 20A-opening; 22-a frame body; 22A-opening; 24-a housing; 24A-opening; 30-a current collecting member; 30 a-an end current collecting member; 30 b-an end current collecting member; 32-connecting a current collecting member; 34-a conductive support substrate; 34A-gas flow path; 36-fuel side electrode layer; 38-solid electrolyte layer; 40-air side electrode layer; 42-internal wiring; a 44-P type semiconductor layer; 46-a thermally insulating material; 50-a frame body; 50 a-lower frame; 50 b-upper frame; 50 c-opening No. 1; 50 d-No. 2 opening; 50 e-a projection; 52-case 1; 52 a-opening; 52 b-a stress absorbing mechanism; 54-case 2; 54 a-opening; 56 a-glass seal; 56 b-glass seal; 60-a separator; 60A-surface; 60B-surface; 60 a-airflow path; 60 b-upper through hole; 60 c-lower through hole; 60 d-lower end jet hole; 60 e-1 st air ejection hole; 60 f-2 nd air ejection hole; 90-thermal insulation material; 92-an inner shell; 92 a-exhaust discharge hole; 94-an outer housing; 96-exhaust flow path; 98-air flow path; 100-fuel cell stack arrangement; 1001-single cell; 1002 a-a shunt; 1002 b-a shunt; 1003-fuel pole; 1004 — metal cover; 1005-a glass material; 1006-an insulating support member; 1007-a glass ring; 1008-air pole; 1009-current collector; 1010 a-single cell group; 1010 b-single cell group; 1011-a reformer; 1020-fuel gas supply pipe; 1100-fuel cell stack; 1101-a cell body; 1102-a cover; 1102 b-circular portion; 1103 — fuel gas flow path (gas flow path, internal flow path); 1104-inner electrode layer; 1105-an electrolyte layer; 1106-outer electrode layer; 1107 — fuel gas flow path; 1108-silver solder; 1109-glass seal; 1200-a fuel cell stack arrangement; 1201 a-single cell; 1201 b-single cell; 1202 a-a shunt; 1204-a metal cover; 1206-an insulating support member; 1207-glass ring; 1208-air pole; 1209-current collector; 1210 a-single cell group; 1210 b-a single cell group; 1220-fuel gas supply pipe; 1300 a-fuel cell stack arrangement; 1300 b-fuel cell stack arrangement; 1300 c-fuel cell stack arrangement; 1301-a single cell; 1302 a-a shunt; 1302 b-a shunt; 1302 c-a shunt; 1320 a-fuel gas supply pipe; 1320 b-fuel gas exhaust pipe; 1401-a fuel cell stack; 1402-a flow divider; 1402 a-1 st supply chamber; 1402 b-No. 2 supply chamber; 1450 a-1 st discharge pipe; 1450 b-discharge line 2; 1451-bottom cover; 1452-connecting cover.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Further modifications and other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following description. The following description is, therefore, to be construed as merely illustrative, and is provided for teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and/or function may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
First, the basic structure of the present invention will be explained. Fig. 1 is a side view of a fuel cell stack assembly 100 of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell stack device 100 is composed of a plurality of columnar unit cells 1 each having a gas flow path provided therein, a flow divider 2b, and a flow divider 2 a. The plurality of electric cells 1 are supported and fixed by one shunt 2b with all one end sides (lower end sides in fig. 1) standing upright. Here, the plurality of cells 1 are configured such that a shunt 2a is provided on the other end side (upper end side in fig. 1), and the cells are divided into a cell group 10a fixed to the shunt 2a and a cell group 10b open on the other end side not connected to the shunt 2 a. The plurality of cells 1 are electrically connected in series (not shown).
The arrows shown in fig. 1 indicate the flow of the fuel gas. The fuel gas is supplied into the flow divider 2a, and flows from the other end side to one end side of the cell group 10 a. The fuel gas that reaches the inside of the flow divider 2b is then dispersed in the flow divider 2 b. The fuel gas then flows from one end side of the cell group 10b toward the other end side, and is then discharged from the other end side of the cell group 10b to the outside of the fuel cell stack device 100.
Here, the fuel consumption will be described with reference to fig. 2(a) and 2 (B).
As shown in fig. 2(a), when fuel gas is consumed in two stages, i.e., the cell group 10a and the cell group 10b to generate electric power, if the amount of fuel gas supplied to the flow divider 2a consumed in the cell group 10a is 40 as 100, the fuel utilization rate (Uf) of the cell group 10a becomes 40% because the cell group 10a is calculated to be 40/100 ═ 0.4. The unused fuel gas discharged from the cell group 10a becomes 60, and this portion is supplied to the cell group 10 b. When the amount of fuel consumed by the cell group 10b is 40, which is the same as that of the cell group 10a, the fuel utilization rate of the cell group 10b is about 67% because 40/60 is 0.666 ….
On the other hand, when the two-stage power generation is not performed, that is, when the one-stage power generation is performed, if the amount of fuel gas consumed in the cell group is similarly assumed to be 80 as 100, 80/100 is calculated to be 0.8, and the fuel utilization rate Uf becomes 80%.
When the fuel utilization rate becomes 80% or more, the partial pressure of water vapor becomes extremely high, and therefore the electromotive force of the unit cell decreases. That is, the potential of the fuel cell tends to decrease due to the influence of the nernst loss, and the power generation efficiency tends to decrease. Further, if the fuel utilization rate becomes too high, the electrodes of the cells become easily oxidized, and the durability of the cells becomes poor.
As described above, since the plurality of cells are configured by the cell group 10a and the cell group 10b to generate power so that the fuel gas is used in two stages, the fuel utilization rate (i.e., the power generation efficiency) of each cell group can be improved as the entire fuel cell stack device while maintaining the fuel utilization rate at a low level.
In the present specification, the upstream-side cell group 10a of the cell groups separated into two layers for cascade use of the fuel gas may be referred to as a "1 st-layer cell group", "1 st stack", "1 st cell group", or a "1 st-side cell group", and the downstream-side cell group 10b may be referred to as a "2 nd-layer cell group", "2 nd stack", "2 nd cell group", or a "2 nd-side cell group", but they have the same meaning.
As described above, the fuel gas is made to flow in from the flow divider on the other end side (the upper end side in fig. 1) and the unused gas is collected by the flow divider on one end side (the lower end side in fig. 1) and supplied to the open-side cell group in the two-layer structure of the cell group. Thus, the arrangement of the plurality of cells, the series electrical connection between the cells, the flow of the air for power generation, and the like are not greatly restricted or hindered, and the number of cells on the upstream side and the downstream side can be easily adjusted, whereby a fuel cell stack device having a high fuel utilization rate can be provided in which the structure of the conventional fuel cell device can be directly applied.
Further, by disposing the reformer and the evaporator in the combustion region where the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell stack device is combusted, the same arrangement configuration as that of the conventional fuel cell device can be applied. Therefore, it is possible to cope with a small fuel cell device having an output performance of about 1kw, and to provide a fuel cell system having high efficiency and high durability.
A fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, as viewed from the 1 st cell stack side. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, as viewed from the 2 nd stack side. Fig. 5 is a side view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention as viewed from the 1 st cell stack side. Fig. 6 is a side view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention as viewed from the 2 nd stack side. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a partial horizontal cross-sectional view of the 1 st cell stack constituting the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the 1 st flow divider of the fuel cell stack device according to the 1 st embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a connection portion between the lower end of a fuel cell and a 2 nd flow divider of a 1 st stack of a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. The partition plate is omitted in fig. 4 to 6.
As shown in fig. 3 to 9, the fuel cell stack device 100 includes: 1 st cell stack 10 a; a 2 nd cell stack 10b including a plurality of columnar fuel cells 1; a 1 st shunt 2a disposed above the 1 st stack 10 a; a 2 nd shunt 2b disposed below the 1 st and 2 nd stacks 10a and 10 b; and a reformer 12 provided above the 2 nd cell stack 10B and having a reforming section B filled with a reforming catalyst. The reformer 12 and the 1 st splitter 2a are connected to each other via a connection portion 14 so that the fuel gas can move. In addition, a separator 60 is provided between the 1 st cell stack 10a and the 2 nd cell stack 10 b. As shown in fig. 9, the fuel cell stack device 100 is surrounded by a heat insulating material 90. An inner case 92 is provided on the outer periphery of the heat insulator 90, and an outer case 94 is attached to the outer periphery of the inner case 92. An exhaust passage 96 is formed between the inner case 92 and the heat insulator 90. Further, an air flow passage 98 is formed between the inner case 92 and the outer case 94. An inner case 92 is connected to an upper end of the partition 60. An exhaust discharge hole 92a is formed in the lower surface of the inner case 92, and extends to the outside of the outer case 94 while communicating with the exhaust passage 96. An air inlet hole (not shown) is formed in the lower surface of the outer case 94, and extends to the outside of the outer case 94 in communication with the air flow passage 98.
In the 1 st cell stack 10a, a plurality of columnar fuel cells 1a are arranged in a row in a horizontal direction (a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, a lateral direction), and a gas flow path (internal flow path) extending in the longitudinal direction is formed inside the fuel cell 1 a. In the 2 nd cell stack 10b, as in the 1 st cell stack 10a, a plurality of columnar fuel cells 1b are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction, and a gas flow path extending in the longitudinal direction is formed inside the fuel cell 1 b.
The upper ends of the fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st cell stack 10a are connected so that the fuel gas can move toward the 1 st flow divider 2 a. The lower ends of the fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st cell stack 10a are connected so that the fuel gas can move to one side in the short side direction of the 2 nd flow divider 2 b. The lower ends of the fuel cells 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10b are connected so that the fuel gas can move to the other side in the short side direction of the 2 nd flow divider 2 b. The upper ends of the fuel cells 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10b are opened, and a combustion unit 18 for combusting the gas discharged from the 2 nd stack 10b is formed between the upper end of the 2 nd stack 10 and the reformer 12.
The raw material gas and water (or steam) are supplied to the reformer 12. The reformer 12 reforms the supplied fuel gas into a fuel gas containing hydrogen by heat of the combustion section 18. The fuel gas reformed by the reformer 12 is supplied to the 1 st flow divider 2a through the connection portion 14. The fuel gas supplied to the 1 st flow divider 2a is sent to the fuel cell 1a constituting the 1 st stack 10a, and flows downward through the internal flow path of the fuel cell 1 a. At this time, power is generated by the fuel cells 1a of the 1 st cell stack 10 a.
The fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell 1a of the 1 st stack 10a is collected by the 2 nd flow divider 2 b. The fuel gas recovered by the 2 nd flow divider 2b is supplied to the internal flow path of the fuel cell 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10b, and flows upward in the internal flow path. At this time, power is generated by the fuel cell 1b of the 2 nd stack 10 b.
The fuel gas that has passed through the fuel cell 1b of the 2 nd stack 10b is discharged to the combustion section 18 above the 2 nd stack 10 b. Thereafter, the fuel gas discharged to the combustion portion 18, which is not used for power generation, is ignited and burned. In the present embodiment, the fuel cell group includes only 1 st cell stack 10a and 12 nd cell stack 10 b. However, 2 or more 1 st cell stacks, 2 or more 2 nd cell stacks, and a 3 rd cell stack may be provided downstream of the 2 nd cell stack.
As shown in fig. 8, the 1 st cell stack 10a is configured such that a plurality of fuel cells 1a are arranged in a row with a space therebetween, and a current collecting member 30 is arranged between adjacent fuel cells 1 a. Thereby, the plurality of fuel cells 1a are electrically connected in series. Further, an end current collecting member 30a is bonded to the outermost fuel cell 1a of the 1 st cell stack 10 a. Similarly, the end current collecting member 30b is bonded to the outermost fuel cell 1b of the 2 nd stack 10 b. On the side of the fuel cell stack device 100, the end current collecting member 30a of the 1 st stack 10a is connected to the end current collecting member 30b of the 2 nd stack 10b via the connecting current collecting member 32. Thereby, the fuel cell 1a constituting the 1 st cell stack 10a and the fuel cell 1b constituting the 2 nd cell stack 10b are connected in series. The generated current is taken out from the end current collecting member 30a of the 1 st stack 10a and the end current collecting member 30b of the 2 nd stack 10b on the other side of the fuel cell stack device 100. In the present embodiment, the fuel cell 1a constituting the 1 st cell stack 10a and the fuel cell 1b constituting the 2 nd cell stack 10b are connected in series, but may be connected in parallel.
A gas flow path (internal flow path) is formed inside each fuel cell 1a so as to extend from one end to the other end. The fuel cell 1a includes: a columnar conductive support substrate 34 having a pair of opposing flat surfaces; a fuel side electrode layer 36 formed on one flat surface of the support substrate 34; a solid electrolyte layer 38 formed on the outer surface of the fuel-side electrode layer 36; and an air-side electrode layer 40 formed on the outer surface of the solid electrolyte layer 38. Further, an interconnector 42 is provided on the other flat surface of the fuel cell 1 a.
A gas flow path 34A for flowing the fuel gas in the longitudinal direction is formed in the support substrate 34 across both ends. A P-type semiconductor layer 44 is disposed outside the interconnector 42. The interconnector 42 is connected to the collector member 30 through the P-type semiconductor layer 44.
For example, fuel-side electrode layer 36 is formed of at least one of a mixture of Ni and zirconia doped with at least one element selected from rare earth elements such as Ca and Y, Sc, a mixture of Ni and ceria doped with at least one element selected from rare earth elements, and a mixture of Ni and lanthanum gallate doped with at least one element selected from Sr, Mg, Co, Fe, and Cu.
The solid electrolyte layer 38 is formed of at least one of zirconia doped with at least one element selected from rare earth elements such as Y, Sc, ceria doped with at least one element selected from rare earth elements, and lanthanum gallate doped with at least one element selected from Sr and Mg, for example.
The air-side electrode layer 40 is formed of, for example, at least one of lanthanum manganate doped with at least one element selected from Sr and Ca, lanthanum ferrite doped with at least one element selected from Sr, Co, Ni, and Cu, lanthanum cobaltate doped with at least one element selected from Sr, Fe, Ni, and Cu, and silver.
As the support substrate 34, a conductive ceramic, a cermet, or the like having a high aperture ratio may be used so as to have gas permeability through which the fuel gas permeates to the fuel-side electrode layer 36. The support substrate 34 may be columnar or cylindrical.
The P-type semiconductor layer 44 may be made of, for example, LaMnO containing Mn, Fe, Co, etc. on the B side3Class oxide, LaFeO3Class oxide, LaCoO3A P-type semiconductor ceramic composed of at least one of a pseudooxide and the like.
Lanthanum-chromium-based perovskite oxide (LaCrO) may be used for the interconnector 113Like oxides) or lanthanum strontium titanium perovskite type oxides (LaSrTiO)3An oxide-like) and the like.
The structure of the 1 st cell stack 10a and the structure of the 2 nd cell stack 10b are different in the number of fuel cells and the length in the arrangement direction of the fuel cells, but the other structures are the same. As shown in fig. 3 to 6, the 1 st stack 10a and the 2 nd stack 10b are arranged such that the arrangement directions of the fuel cells 1a and 1b are parallel to each other. As shown in fig. 9, the length (height) of the fuel cell 1a constituting the 1 st stack 10a in the longitudinal direction is larger than the length of the fuel cell 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10b in the longitudinal direction.
The number of fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st stack 10a is smaller than the number of fuel cells 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10 b. Therefore, the length (lateral length) of the fuel cell 1a of the 1 st stack 10a in the arrangement direction is smaller than the lateral length of the 2 nd stack 10 b. In the following description, the arrangement direction of the fuel cells 1a and 1b will be simply referred to as the arrangement direction.
The position of one end in the array direction on the upstream side (the right-hand front side in fig. 3) of the reformer 12 of the 1 st cell stack 10a and the position of one end in the array direction on the upstream side of the reformer 12 of the 2 nd cell stack 10b are aligned in the array direction. In contrast, the other end of the 1 st cell stack 10a in the arrangement direction is located inward in the arrangement direction than the other end of the 2 nd cell stack 10b in the arrangement direction. As shown in fig. 5, a heat insulating material 46 is provided between a position corresponding to the other end in the arrangement direction of the 2 nd cell stack 10b and the other end in the arrangement direction of the 1 st cell stack 10a on the other end side in the arrangement direction of the 1 st cell stack 10 a.
The fuel cell 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10b is opened upward, and a combustion portion 18 is formed above the 2 nd stack 10 b. The combustion unit 18 combusts fuel gas that is not used in power generation.
As shown in fig. 3 to 7 and 9, reformer 12 includes an evaporation unit 12A and a reforming unit 12B. The raw material gas, water, or steam is supplied to the reformer 12 from the outside through the supply pipes 13A and 13B. The evaporation portion 12A heats water using the combustion heat of the combustion portion 18 to generate steam.
The reforming section 12B is filled with a reforming catalyst for reforming the mixed gas. As the reforming catalyst, a material in which nickel is provided on the surface of alumina spheres or a material in which ruthenium is provided on the surface of alumina spheres is suitably used. The reformer 12B reforms the supplied raw material gas with steam by the combustion heat of the combustor 18, and reforms the raw material gas into a fuel gas containing hydrogen. As shown in fig. 7, the reforming part 12B is not located above the 1 st cell stack 10a, but is located only above the 2 nd cell stack 10B. In the present embodiment, the entire reformer 12 is not located above the 1 st cell stack 10a, but is located at a position covering only the upper side of the 2 nd cell stack 10b (that is, the evaporation unit 12A, the surrounding flange, and the like are also located only above the 2 nd cell stack 10 b). The reformer 12 is held with the bottom surface horizontal. The reformer 12 is located above the 1 st and 2 nd splitters 2a and 2 b.
As shown in fig. 10, the 1 st flow divider 2a includes a housing 22, a case 24, and a distribution pipe 20. The frame 22 has a hollow structure, and an opening 22A having substantially the same shape as the case 24 is formed in the lower end surface. The 1 st shunt 2a is held so that the bottom surface of the frame 22 is horizontal.
The case 24 is formed with a plurality of openings 24A having substantially the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st cell stack 10 a. The upper ends of all the fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st stack 10a are connected to an opening 24A formed in the case 24. The housing 24 is attached to an opening 22A formed in the frame 22. The connection structure between the 1 st shunt 2a and the upper end of the fuel cell 1a, which includes the connection structure between the housing 22 and the case 24 of the 1 st shunt 2a, is the same as the connection structure between the 2 nd shunt 2b and the lower end of the fuel cell 1a, and will be described in detail later.
The upstream end portion of the distribution pipe 20 is connected to the connection portion 14 in a fuel gas movable manner, and supplies reformed fuel gas. The distribution pipe 20 has a plurality of openings 20A formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction. The opening area increases as the plurality of openings 20A are closer to the upstream side. Thus, the fuel gas is distributed evenly to the downstream end of the 1 st flow divider 2a, and the fuel gas is supplied evenly to the fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st cell stack 10 a. That is, the distributor pipe 20 functions as a distribution mechanism for uniformly supplying the fuel gas to the 1 st fuel cell 1 a. The distribution mechanism is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment, and for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of partitions are provided in the 1 st flow divider 2a so as to close the internal flow path, and openings that increase toward the tip end are provided in the plurality of partitions.
The connection portion 14 is integrally formed with the reformer 12 and the 1 st flow divider 2a without any joint, and the internal flow paths thereof are connected so that the fuel gas can move. The connection portion 14 has a curved shape that is inclined downward from the reformer 12 toward the 1 st flow splitter 2 a.
As shown in fig. 9, the 2 nd flow divider 2b includes a frame 50, a 1 st case 52, and a 2 nd case 54. The lower frame 50a of the frame 50 is connected to the upper frame 50b, and a space is formed therein. On both sides in the width direction of the upper frame 50b, a 1 st opening 50c and a 2 nd opening 50d are formed in parallel so as to extend in the longitudinal direction and be aligned in the width direction. In addition, a protrusion 50e protruding downward is formed at the center in the width direction of the upper frame 50b so as to extend in the longitudinal direction. The 1 st case 52 is attached to the 1 st opening 50c of the housing 50, and the 2 nd case 54 is attached to the 2 nd opening 50 d.
The 1 st case 52 has a plurality of openings 52a formed therein, which have substantially the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st stack 10 a. Openings 52a formed in the 1 st case 52 are connected to the lower ends of the plurality of fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st stack 10 a. The 2 nd case 54 is formed with a plurality of openings 54a having substantially the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the fuel cell 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10 b. The lower ends of the plurality of fuel cells 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10b are connected to an opening 54a formed in the 2 nd case 54.
As shown in fig. 11, a stress absorbing mechanism 52b is formed in the 2 nd flow divider 2 b. The stress absorbing mechanism 52b is formed in the 1 st case 52, and the 1 st case 52 is a member to which the plurality of fuel cells 1a constituting the 1 st stack 10a are connected among the members forming the 2 nd flow divider 2 b. The stress absorbing mechanism 52b is formed around the opening 52a of the fuel cell 1a to which the 1 st case 52 is connected. The stress absorbing mechanism 52b is configured such that a portion around the opening 52a of the 1 st case 52 is formed in a bellows shape. The thickness of the portion of the 1 st casing 52 where the stress absorbing mechanism 52b is formed is smaller than the thickness of the other portions constituting the 2 nd flow divider 2b, that is, the thickness of the frame 50. Thus, the stress absorbing mechanism 52b is elastically deformable, and both ends of each fuel cell 1a of the 1 st stack 10a are fixed by the 1 st and 2 nd shunts 2a and 2b, so that the stress generated in the fuel cell 1a can be absorbed.
Such a stress absorbing mechanism is provided not only at the connection portion between the lower end of the fuel cell 1a constituting the 1 st cell stack 10a and the 2 nd flow divider 2b, but also at the connection portion between the upper end of the fuel cell 1a constituting the 1 st cell stack 10a and the 1 st flow divider 2 a. However, the stress absorbing mechanism need not be provided to both of the connection portions of the fuel cell 1a and the 1 st and 2 nd diverters 2a, 2b, and may be provided only to one. When only one of the first and second manifolds is provided, it is preferable to provide the first and second manifolds at a connection portion between the upper end of the fuel cell 1a and the 1 st flow divider 2 a.
As shown in fig. 9, the 1 st case 52 is disposed such that the outer peripheral edge does not overlap with the edge of the 1 st opening 50c of the frame 50, and the outer peripheral edge of the 1 st case 52 and the edge of the 1 st opening 50c are connected by a glass seal 56 a. The inner surface of the cylindrical portion on the inner peripheral side of the 1 st case 52 and the outer surface of the lower end portion of the fuel cell 1a are connected by a glass seal 56 b.
The partition 60 is made of a heat-resistant hollow plate material such as stainless steel, and has an air flow passage 60a for supplying air to the inside. The upper end of the partition 60 is connected to the upper surface of the inner case 92, and the air flow passage 60a communicates with the air flow passage 98. Thereby, the air for power generation is supplied from the upper end to the air flow path 60a through the air flow path 98. The lower end of the partition 60 extends from a height above the reformer 12 to the vicinity of the lower ends of the 1 st cell stack 10a and the 2 nd cell stack 10b in the vertical direction. Thus, the separator 60 can separate the connection portion between the 1 st shunt 2a and the 1 st cell stack 10a and the combustion portion 18, and the influence of heat applied to the connection portion can be reduced.
Partition plate 60 has upper through-hole 60B and lower through-hole 60c formed therein, which pass through between opposing surfaces 60A and 60B. The upper through-hole 60b is formed at a height position above the combustion portion 18. The lower through-hole 60c is formed below the combustion section 18 and near a height position between the 1 st cell stack 10a and the 2 nd cell stack 10 b. The space on the 1 st cell stack 10a side and the space on the 2 nd cell stack 10b side communicate with each other through the upper through hole 60b and the lower through hole 60 c.
Further, a lower end discharge hole 60d is formed in the lower end portion of the partition plate 60. The 1 st air ejection hole 60e is formed in the 1 st cell stack 10A side surface 60A of the separator 60, and the 2 nd air ejection hole 60f is formed in the 2 nd cell stack 10B side surface 60B of the separator 60. The 1 st air ejection hole 60e is formed at a height position corresponding to the lower portion of the 1 st cell stack 10 a. The 2 nd air ejection hole 60f is formed at a height position corresponding to the lower portion of the 2 nd cell stack 10 b. These 1 st and 2 nd air ejection holes 60e and 60f may be a plurality of openings or may be a single opening. The total area of the 2 nd air ejection holes 60f formed on the surface 60B on the 2 nd stack 10B side is larger than the total area of the 1 st air ejection holes 60e formed on the surface 60A on the 1 st stack 10A side. The air supplied to the air flow path 60a of the separator 60 is ejected in a larger amount toward the 2 nd stack 10b than the 1 st stack 10 a.
Further, a 3 rd air ejection hole 60g is formed in the surface 60B of the separator 60 on the 2 nd stack 10B side toward the combustion portion 18. The 3 rd air ejection hole 60g is formed at a height position corresponding to the combustion portion 18. Thus, the air supplied to the air flow path 60a of the partition 60 is ejected toward the combustion portion 18 through the 3 rd air ejection hole 60 g.
In the present embodiment, the air ejection holes 60e and 60f are provided on both the facing surfaces 60A and 60B of the separator 60, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be provided only on the surface 60B on the 2 nd cell stack 10B side.
The flow of the fuel gas, water (steam), and power generation air (oxidant gas) in the fuel cell stack device 100 of the present embodiment will be described below.
The raw material gas and water (steam) are supplied from the outside to the reformer 12 of the fuel cell stack device 100 through the supply pipes 13A and 13B. The water supplied to the reformer 12 is evaporated in the evaporation portion 12A of the reformer 12 by the heat of the combustion portion 18. Thereafter, the raw material gas and the steam are sent to the reformer 12B. The raw material gas and the steam are reformed into a fuel gas containing hydrogen in the reforming section 12B by the heat of the combustion section 18.
The fuel gas reformed in the reformer 12 is supplied to the distribution pipe 20 of the 1 st flow divider 2a through the connection portion 14. The fuel gas supplied to the distribution pipe 20 is ejected into the housing 22 through the opening 20A. Here, the opening area increases as the opening 20A is closer to the upstream side, so that the fuel gas is uniformly discharged into the housing 22. The fuel gas discharged into the housing 22 is sent from the upper end to the internal flow path of each fuel cell 1a constituting the 1 st stack 10 a. The fuel gas flows from the upper end to the lower end of the fuel cell 1a, and is discharged from the lower end into the 2 nd flow divider 2 b. At this time, each fuel cell 1a generates power.
A projection 50e projecting downward is formed on the upper surface of the 2 nd flow divider 2 b. The protrusion 50e functions to reduce the flow path resistance of the flow path area. Therefore, the fuel gas discharged to the 2 nd flow divider 2b is dispersed in the upstream side chamber 2b1 of the 2 nd flow divider 2b, and then flows into the downstream side chamber 2b 2.
The fuel gas flowing into the chamber 2b2 is sent from the lower end to the internal flow path of the fuel cell 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10 b. The fuel gas sent to the fuel cell 1b flows from the lower end toward the upper end in the internal flow path. At this time, each fuel cell 1b generates power.
Fuel gas that is not used for power generation by the fuel cell 1b constituting the 2 nd stack 10b is discharged from the upper end of the fuel cell 1b to the combustion portion 18. The fuel gas discharged to the combustion section 18 is combusted, and the heat generated at this time is used to heat the reformer 12.
The exhaust gas generated by burning the fuel gas in the combustion portion 18 rises upward. At this time, since the upper through-holes 60b are formed in the separators 60, the exhaust gas diffuses on the 1 st cell stack 10a side and the 2 nd cell stack 10b side, and the temperature difference between the exhaust gas on the 1 st cell stack 10a side and the exhaust gas on the 2 nd cell stack 10b side becomes small. After that, the exhaust gas flows downward in the exhaust flow path 96. At this time, heat exchange occurs between the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage 96 and the power generation air flowing through the air passage 98, and the power generation air can be heated. Thereafter, the exhaust gas is discharged from the exhaust discharge hole 92a to the outside of the outer case 94.
Then, the power generation air flows into the air flow path 98 through the air inlet hole from the outside. The air sent into the air flow path 98 flows upward in the air flow path 98. At this time, heat exchange occurs with the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust flow path 96, and the air is heated. The air reaching the upper portion of the air flow path 98 is sent to the air flow path 60a from the upper end of the partition 60.
The power generation air sent into the air flow path 60a is discharged toward the 1 st cell stack 10a and the 2 nd cell stack 10b through the 1 st and 2 nd air discharge holes 60e and 60f and the lower end discharge hole 60 d. At this time, since the total area of the 2 nd air ejection holes 60f formed on the surface 60B on the 2 nd stack 10B side is larger than the total area of the 1 st air ejection holes 60e formed on the surface 60A on the 1 st stack 10A side, more air is ejected toward the 2 nd stack 10B than the 1 st stack 10A.
Here, since the separator 60 has the lower through-hole 60c, the air on the 1 st stack 10a side and the air on the 2 nd stack 10b side are mixed. This can suppress temperature unevenness of the power generation air.
The power generation air sent into the air flow path 60a is ejected from the 3 rd air ejection hole 60g toward the combustion portion 18. This allows the combustion section 18 to completely burn fuel gas that is not used for power generation.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be exhibited.
According to the present embodiment, since the fuel gas used in the 1 st cell stack 10a is consumed in two stages, i.e., the fuel gas flows into the 2 nd cell stack 10b and is further consumed, the fuel efficiency can be improved. Further, since the fuel gas is consumed in two stages without significantly changing the arrangement of the fuel cells 1a and 1b, a fuel cell stack device having high power generation efficiency and easy to manufacture can be provided.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the fuel gas is supplied from the upper end of the 1 st cell stack 10a and the fuel gas recovered by the 2 nd flow divider 2a is supplied from the lower end of the 2 nd cell stack 10b, the off-gas can be discharged from the upper end of the 2 nd cell stack 10 a. This enables the exhaust gas to be delivered to the combustion section 18 without providing a new pipe.
In the present embodiment, the plurality of fuel cells 1a and 1b are constituted by only the 1 st cell stack 10a and the 2 nd cell stack 10b arranged in a row. As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the fuel cell stack device is configured by only 2 rows of the stacks 10a and 10b, the fuel cell stack device can be downsized.
Next, a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.
First, a fuel cell used in embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 12 and 13.
Fuel cell unit cell
Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a fuel cell (hereinafter, simply referred to as a cell) constituting a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. Fig. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an end portion of a single cell.
As shown in fig. 12, the cell 1001 includes: a cell body 1101; and covers 1102 (also referred to as metal covers) which are connection electrode portions connected to both end portions of the cell main body 1101, respectively.
As shown in fig. 13, a cell main body 1101, which is a tubular structure extending in the vertical direction when having a conductive support as a support, includes: an inner electrode layer 1104 which is a cylindrical fuel electrode layer having a fuel gas flow field 1103 (also referred to as an internal flow field) as a gas passage formed therein; a cylindrical solid electrolyte layer 1105 provided on the outer periphery of the inner electrode layer 1104; and an outer electrode layer 1106 which is a cylindrical air electrode (oxidant gas electrode) layer provided on the outer periphery of the electrolyte layer 1105. The inner electrode layer 1104 is a porous body, functions as a support for constituting the cell main body 1101, and forms a gas passage in which the fuel gas flows. The inner electrode layer 1104 is a fuel electrode and is a (-) electrode, while the outer electrode layer 1106 is an air electrode and is a (+) electrode, which is in contact with air.
The inner electrode layer 1104 is formed of at least one of a mixture of Ni and zirconia doped with at least one element selected from rare earth elements such as Ca and Y, Sc, a mixture of Ni and ceria doped with at least one element selected from rare earth elements, and a mixture of Ni and lanthanum gallate doped with at least one element selected from Sr, Mg, Co, Fe, and Cu, for example. In this embodiment, the inner electrode layer 1104 is made of Ni/YSZ.
In this case, the fuel electrode layer is formed as an inner electrode layer on the outer side of the insulating support.
Electrolyte layer 1105 is formed along the outer peripheral surface of inner electrode layer 1104 over the entire circumference, and has a lower end that ends above the lower end of inner electrode layer 1104 and an upper end that ends below the upper end of inner electrode layer 1104. The electrolyte layer 1105 is formed of at least one of zirconia doped with at least one element selected from rare earth elements such as Y, Sc, ceria doped with at least one element selected from rare earth elements, and lanthanum gallate doped with at least one element selected from Sr and Mg, for example.
Outer electrode layer 1106 is formed along the outer peripheral surface of electrolyte layer 1105 over the entire circumference, and has a lower end located above the lower end of electrolyte layer 1105 and an upper end located below the upper end of electrolyte layer 1105. The outer electrode layer 1106 is formed of, for example, at least one of lanthanum manganate doped with at least one element selected from Sr and Ca, lanthanum ferrite doped with at least one element selected from Sr, Co, Ni, and Cu, lanthanum cobaltate doped with at least one element selected from Sr, Fe, Ni, and Cu, and silver.
Next, although the cover 1102 will be described, the cover 1102 attached to the lower end side of the cell main body 1101 will be specifically described here, since the cover 1102 attached to the upper end side and the lower end side of the cell main body 1101 has the same configuration.
The covers 1102 (metal covers) are provided so as to surround the upper and lower end portions of the cell main body 1101, are electrically connected to the inner electrode layers 1104 of the cell main body 1101, and function as connection electrodes for drawing the inner electrode layers 1104 to the outside. As shown in fig. 13, a cover 1102 provided at the lower end of a cell main body 1101 has: a cylindrical 1 st cylinder part 1102 a; an annular ring portion 1102b extending outward from the upper end of the 1 st cylinder portion 1102 a; and a 2 nd cylindrical portion 1102c extending upward from the outer periphery of the annular portion 1102 b. A fuel gas flow field 1107 communicating with the fuel gas flow field 1103 of the inner electrode layer 1104 is formed in the center portion of the 1 st cylinder 1102a of the cover 1102. The fuel gas flow channel 1107 is an elongated pipe provided so as to extend from the center of the cover 1102 in the axial direction of the cell main body 1101.
The cover 1102 is formed by coating the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of a main body made of ferritic stainless steel or austenitic stainless steel with chromium oxide (Cr in the present embodiment)2O3) And MnC is coated on the outer peripheral surfaceo2O4. Additionally, the coated MnCo2O4An Ag current collecting film is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the layer. In the present embodiment, the Ag current collecting film is provided over the entire outer peripheral surface of the cover 1102, but may be provided only in a part thereof.
A silver solder 1108 is disposed in a space between the inside of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1102c of the cover 1102 and the outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the inner electrode layer 1104 of the cell main body 1101. The silver solder 1108 is sintered by firing after the unit cell 1100 is assembled, whereby the inner electrode layer 1104 and the cover 1102 are electrically and mechanically joined. Further, a glass seal 1109 made of a glass material is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the 2 nd cylindrical portion 1102c of the cover 1102 and the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the electrolyte layer 1105. The space between the cover 1102 and the inner electrode layer 1104 is hermetically sealed with respect to the outer space of the cell 1100 by the glass seal 1109.
Fuel cell stack device
Fig. 14(a) and 14(B) are diagrams showing a fuel cell stack device according to the present embodiment. In the arrangement of the cell groups of the fuel cell stack device 100 of fig. 1, the cell group 1010a, the cell group 1010b, and the cell group 1010a are arranged in this order in the width direction (short-side direction) of the fuel cell stack device 1100, and the right cell group 1010a and the left cell group 1010a in fig. 14 a are connected to each other on the back side of the drawing sheet of fig. 14. Therefore, the shunt 1002B, to which the plurality of cells 1001 arranged in the cell group 1010a are connected and fixed, has a U-shape in a plan view (fig. 14B).
The cell 1001 has a cylindrical shape and includes a metal cap 1004 electrically connected to both ends of the fuel electrode 1003, and the metal cap 1004 is sealed by the cell 1001 and a glass material 1005 (not shown in fig. 13 to 15). The cell 1001 is erected on the shunt 1002b via an insulating support member 1006 (also referred to as a bushing), and is hermetically fixed by a glass ring 1007. The other end side of a part of the cell 1001 is disposed below the shunt 1002a having a U-shape in a plan view via an insulating support member 1006, and is hermetically joined by a glass ring 1007.
The plurality of cells 1001 are electrically connected to each other in series with the end portions of the metal cover 1004 and the air electrode 1008 via the current collector 1009 as follows. Here, if the current distribution in the cell 1001 is considered, it is preferable that the current collector be provided on the downstream side of the cell 1001 with respect to the flow direction of the fuel gas. Therefore, in the cell group 1010a in which the fuel gas flows from the other end side to one end side (from the upper end side to the lower end side in fig. 14 a), the current collector 1009 is preferably provided on one end side (the lower end side). On the other hand, in the cell group 1010b in which the fuel gas flows in the direction from one end side to the other end side (the direction from the lower end side to the upper end side in fig. 14 a), the current collector 1009 is preferably provided on the other end side. In addition, the electric connection between the cell group 1010a and the cell group 1010b is performed as follows, and since it is necessary to connect one end side of the cell 1001 disposed in the cell group 1010a and the other end side of the cell 1001 disposed in the cell group 1010b, it is necessary to connect them by a long-distance collector over a span from one end side to the other end side, and therefore, in view of preventing the short circuit of the cell 1001, it is sufficient to separate the cells of the cell group 1010a and the cell group 1010 b.
As shown in fig. 14(B), the fuel gas reformed by the reformer 1011 is supplied from a fuel gas supply pipe 1020 connected to the flow divider 1002a having a U-shape in plan view, is dispersed inside the flow divider 1002a having a U-shape, and flows from the other end side to the one end side in the gas flow path of the cell group 1010a connected on the upstream side communicating with the flow divider 1002a having a U-shape. The fuel gas discharged from the cell group 1010a and not used for power generation is collected by the flow divider 1002b, and is discharged from the upper end of the cell group 1010b from one end side to the other end side in the gas flow path of the downstream cell group 1010b whose other end side is open.
As shown in fig. 14(C), the shunt 1002a may be divided into 2 pieces and arranged on the other end side. By distributing the fuel gas discharged from reformer 1011 and supplying the fuel gas to fuel gas supply pipes 1020 of flow divider 2b, the fuel gas can be sequentially supplied from cell group 1010a to cell group 1010b on the downstream side.
On the other hand, the air for power generation is supplied from below the cell 1001 (dotted arrow in fig. 14 a) to the side surfaces of a plurality of cylindrical cells 1001 provided upright as a cell group 1010a or a cell group 1010 b. The supplied power generation air flows from one end side to the other end side of the cell 1001, and is mixed with the unused gas and burned at the upper end portion of the cell group 1010b on the downstream side where the other end side is open.
Here, since it is difficult for the air for power generation to flow through the gaps between the plurality of cells 1001 constituting the upstream side cell group 1010a provided with the flow divider 1002a on the other end side, it is preferable to separate the upstream side cell group 1010a and the downstream side cell group 1010b by a predetermined distance in consideration of the air flow.
In addition, in the U-shaped flow divider 2b, as indicated by the broken line arrows in fig. 14(D), in a plan view, it is difficult for the air for power generation to flow directly below the region extending in the short side direction of the fuel cell stack, and therefore, it is preferable to provide the air supply holes for supplying the air for power generation to the plurality of unit cells 1001 not only on the long side of the fuel cell stack but also on the short side thereof to supply the air for power generation.
The fuel gas passes through the flow divider 1002a and is consumed in the power generation reaction in the upstream cell group 1010 a. The unused gas remaining without being consumed in the power generation reaction is supplied to the downstream side cell group 1010b through the flow divider 1002b, and is further consumed in the power generation reaction in the downstream side cell group 1010 b.
As shown in fig. 15, a shunt 1002a having a rectangular parallelepiped shape may be arranged on the other end side of the center in a plan view. By distributing the fuel gas discharged from reformer 1011 and supplying the fuel gas to fuel gas supply pipe 1020 of flow divider 1002a, the fuel gas can be supplied sequentially from cell group 1010a to downstream cell group 1010 b.
As described above, the fuel cell stack having a two-layer structure of the cell group in which the fuel gas is caused to flow in from the flow divider on the other end side and the unused gas is collected by the flow divider on the one end side and supplied to the cell group on the open side is provided, so that the arrangement of the plurality of cells, the series electrical connection between the cells, the flow of the air for power generation, and the like are not significantly restricted or hindered, and the fuel cell stack having a high fuel utilization rate, which can be directly applied to the structure of the conventional fuel cell module, can be provided by simply adjusting the number of cells on the upstream side and the downstream side.
Further, by disposing the reformer and the evaporator in the combustion region where the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell stack is combusted, the same arrangement configuration as that of the conventional fuel cell module can be applied. Therefore, it is possible to cope with a small fuel cell device having an output performance of about 1kw, and to provide a fuel cell system having high efficiency and high durability.
Next, a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 16.
In a fuel cell stack device 1200 shown in fig. 16, cylindrical cells 1201a and 1201b are stacked in the longitudinal direction of the cells 1201a and 1201b via insulating support members 1206 (also referred to as bushes), and are joined by glass rings 1207. The cell 1201a is erected on the shunt 1202a via an insulating support member 1206, and is sealed and fixed by a glass ring 1207.
The cells are electrically connected to each other by connecting the metal cover 1204 provided in one cell and the end of the air electrode 1208 of the adjacent cell in series via the current collector 1209. The plurality of cells constituting the fuel cell stack device 1200 are composed of a lower cell group 1210a and an upper cell group 1210b located above the lower cell group 1210 a. As shown in fig. 16(a), (B), (C), and (D), the cells 1201a arranged as the cell group 1210a located on the lower stage are connected in series in the longitudinal direction (see fig. 16(a)), and the cells 1201a adjacent to each other in the short-side direction among the cells 1201a at the end portions are connected in series (see fig. 16 (B)). The lower cell 1201a and the upper cell 1201b are connected in series by the current collector positioned at the upper end portion of the lower cell group 1210a (see fig. 16C), and the cell 1201b positioned in the upper cell group 1210b is also electrically connected in series in the same manner as in the lower stage (see fig. 16D). Power extraction lines are provided at the end of the cell 1201a and the end of the cell 1201 b.
Here, if the current distribution in the cell 1201a and the cell 1201b is considered, it is preferable to collect current on the downstream side with respect to the flow direction of the fuel gas.
The fuel gas is supplied from the fuel gas supply pipe 1220 to the flow divider 1202a, passes through the lower stage cell group 1210a, passes through the flow path communicated with the insulating support member 1206, and flows toward the upper stage cell group 1210 b.
Further, between the cells 1201a and 1201b, the power generation air flows from the lower side to the upper side, and mixes with the unused fuel gas in the upper portion of the fuel cell stack 1200 and burns.
The hydrogen-containing fuel gas obtained by the reformer is consumed by the power generation reaction in the lower-stage cell group 1210a by the flow splitter 1202 a. Unused gas remaining without being consumed in the power generation reaction is supplied to the upper-stage cell group 1210b through the insulating support member 1206, and is further consumed by the power generation reaction.
As shown in fig. 16(E), 1 insulating support member 1206 may be disposed for the lower 2 unit cell groups 1210a, and a plurality of upper 1 unit cell groups 1210b may be stacked on the insulating bush 1206. The hydrogen-containing fuel gas obtained in the reformer is distributed from the flow splitter 1202a to the lower unit cells 1201a, supplied to the upper unit cell group 1210b through the insulating support member 1206, and further consumed in the power generation reaction.
By stacking the cells 1201a and 1201b in the longitudinal direction of the cells and forming the current path from the lower stage to the upper stage in this manner, the current distribution can be made uniform while ensuring a large power generation area, and a two-layer cascade fuel cell can be configured, so that a highly efficient and highly durable fuel cell stack can be provided.
Next, a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 17 and 18.
The cylindrical unit cell 1301 included in the fuel cell stack devices 1300a and 1300b shown in fig. 17 and 18 includes a metal cover 1304 electrically connected to both ends of a fuel electrode (not shown), and the metal cover 1304 is hermetically fixed by the unit cell 1301 and a glass material (not shown). The cell 1301 is erected on the shunts 1302a and 1302b via an insulating support member 1306, and is sealed and fixed by a glass ring 1307.
The plurality of cells 1301 in the present embodiment are configured as a cell array group extending in the longitudinal direction of the fuel cell stack device, and the fuel cell stack device is configured by arranging the cell array group in parallel in both the lateral directions.
In the fuel cell stack device 1300a shown in fig. 17, one of the cell array groups is connected to a shunt 1302a, and the cell array group at the other end is connected to another shunt 1302b that is not the shunt 1302 a. The two cell array groups having lower ends connected to the respective shunts are connected to each other via the shunt 1302c provided above.
The plurality of cells 1301 are electrically connected in series via a current collector 1309 between the metal cover 1304 of one cell and the end of the air electrode (not shown) of the cell adjacent thereto, as follows. If the current distribution in the cell 1301 is considered, the current collection is preferably performed on the downstream side with respect to the flow direction of the fuel gas. Therefore, it is preferable that the current collector be disposed on the other end side (upper end side) of the cell array group on the upstream side of the fuel gas flow path, and the current collector be disposed on the one end side (lower end side) of the cell array group on the downstream side of the fuel gas flow path, among the two cell array groups.
The hydrogen-containing fuel gas reformed by the reformer is supplied from the fuel gas supply pipe 1320a of the flow divider 1302a, is dispersed in the flow divider 1302a, and flows from one end side to the other end side in the gas flow path of the cell array group on the upstream side connected to the flow divider 1302a in a communicating manner. The fuel gas that has passed through the upstream-side cell array group flows from the other end side to the one end side in the gas flow path of the downstream-side cell array group by the upper flow divider 1302c, and the unused gas is collected by the flow divider 1302b and discharged from the fuel gas discharge pipe 1320 b.
In this way, by providing a configuration in which the fuel gas is supplied from the flow divider on one end side of one cell row group and the unused gas is collected by the flow divider on the other end side to supply the unused gas to the other cell group, the arrangement of a plurality of cells, the series electrical connection between cells, the flow of air for power generation, and the like are not significantly restricted or hindered, and by simply adjusting the number of cells on the upstream side and the downstream side, it is possible to provide a fuel cell stack device having a high fuel utilization rate in which the configuration of the conventional fuel cell module can be directly applied.
In contrast to the configuration shown in fig. 17 in which the cell array group of the fuel cell stack device 1300a is divided along the longitudinal direction (array direction) in which the cells are arranged, the fuel cell stack device 1300b shown in fig. 18 is divided into cell groups along the lateral direction (row direction) in which the cells are arranged. Similarly to the fuel cell stack device 1300a, the gas flow paths are connected to the cell groups connected to the lower dividers, respectively, via the upper dividers.
Similarly, by providing a configuration in which the fuel gas is supplied from the flow divider on one end side of one cell row group and the unused gas is collected by the flow divider on the other end side to supply the unused gas to the other cell group, the arrangement of a plurality of cells, the series electrical connection between cells, the flow of air for power generation, and the like are not significantly restricted or hindered, and by simply adjusting the number of cells on the upstream side and the downstream side, it is possible to provide a fuel cell stack having a high fuel utilization rate in which the configuration of the conventional fuel cell module can be directly applied.
As shown in fig. 19, a fuel cell stack device 1300c may be configured by disposing shunts 1302a and 1302b at both ends of a cell 1301. The other end side flow splitter 1302c that collects the cell array group on the upstream side of the fuel cell stack device 1300c and the other end side flow splitter 1302c that collects the cell array group on the downstream side of the fuel cell stack device 1300c are connected by a connecting pipe. The hydrogen-containing fuel gas obtained by the reformer flows from the flow splitter 1302a of the fuel cell stack device 1300c through the upstream cell array group and is collected by the other end side flow splitter 1302c of the upstream cell array group, flows into the downstream cell array group of the fuel cell stack device 1300c through the connecting pipe, and is collected by the downstream cell array group and is discharged by the one end side flow splitter 1302b of the fuel cell stack device 1300 c.
Next, a fuel cell stack device according to embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 20. Fig. 20(a) is a cross-sectional view of a side surface of the fuel cell stack according to embodiment 4 of the present invention, and fig. 20(B) is a plan view of the fuel cell stack according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.
As shown in fig. 20(a) and (B), the inside of the flow divider is divided into a 1 st supply chamber 1402a and a 2 nd supply chamber 1402B, and a 1 st discharge pipe 1450a having an opening on the other end side and a 2 nd discharge pipe 1450B having a hole for discharging fuel by closing the other end side are provided so as to communicate with the 2 nd supply chamber 1402B, respectively. The portion communicating with the 1 st supply chamber 1402a and including the 1 st discharge tube 1450a is provided with the cell array group on the upstream side of the cell 1401, and one end side of the cell array group on the upstream side is fixed to the diverter by a glass material in an airtight manner.
The other end side of the cell array group on the upstream side is sealed by a bottom cover 1451, the cell array group on the downstream side of the cell 1401 is provided on a 2 nd discharge pipe 1450b communicating with the 2 nd supply chamber 1402b, one end side of the cell array group on the downstream side is fixed by a glass material in a sealed manner with a flow divider, and a communication cover 1452 having a gas flow path is disposed on the other end side of the cell on the downstream side. The fuel gas supplied from reformer 11 flows into first supply chamber 1402a of the flow divider, flows from one end side to the other end side between the upstream cell array group and first discharge tube 1450a, and the unused gas flows into the upstream cell from the opening of first discharge tube 1450a and flows to second supply tube 1450 b. The unused gas collected in the 2 nd supply tube 1450b flows into the supply tube, flows between the single cell array groups on the downstream side from one end side to the other end side, and is then discharged from the communication cap 1452 having a gas flow path.

Claims (9)

1. A fuel cell stack device for generating electricity by a reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, comprising:
a plurality of columnar fuel cells each having a gas flow path extending in a longitudinal direction therein;
a plurality of stacks including the plurality of fuel cells arranged parallel to each other with respect to the longitudinal direction, and including a 1 st stack and a 2 nd stack arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction;
a reformer for reforming a raw material gas into a fuel gas containing hydrogen;
a 1 st flow divider connected to upper ends of the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st stack, for supplying the fuel gas supplied from the reformer to the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st stack from above;
and a 2 nd flow divider connected to lower ends of the plurality of fuel cells provided in the 2 nd stack, for recovering the fuel gas discharged from the 1 st stack and supplying the recovered fuel gas to the plurality of columnar fuel cells provided in the 2 nd stack from below,
the reformer is disposed above the 2 nd stack,
a combustion unit is provided between the plurality of fuel cell units included in the 2 nd stack and the reformer,
the reformer and the 1 st flow divider are connected by a connecting portion, are formed integrally, and have a U-shape.
2. The fuel cell stack device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of stacks are constituted by only the 1 st stack and the 2 nd stack, and the 1 st stack and the 2 nd stack are arranged in a row of the plurality of fuel cells.
3. A fuel cell device is characterized in that,
a plurality of columnar fuel cells for generating electricity by a fuel gas flowing through an internal flow path and an oxidant gas supplied to an outer surface,
the plurality of fuel cell units are constituted by a 1 st unit cell group and a 2 nd unit cell group,
the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are erected with their respective internal flow paths communicating with the inside of the 2 nd flow divider,
an internal flow path is fixed to the upper ends of the plurality of fuel cells included in the 1 st cell group so as to communicate with the inside of the 1 st flow divider,
the upper ends of the fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group are opened to discharge fuel gas that is not used for power generation from the upper ends and burn the fuel gas,
a reformer is provided above the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group, the reformer supplies a fuel gas to the 1 st splitter, a combustion unit is provided between the plurality of fuel cells included in the 2 nd cell group and the reformer,
the reformer and the 1 st flow divider are connected by a connecting portion, are formed integrally, and have a U-shape.
4. A fuel cell apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a length of the fuel cell included in the 1 st cell group in a longitudinal direction is smaller than a length of the fuel cell included in the 2 nd cell group in the longitudinal direction.
5. The fuel cell device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the fuel gas supplied to the 1 st flow divider is configured to be discharged after flowing through the fuel cell internal flow path included in the 1 st cell group, the 2 nd flow divider, and the fuel cell internal flow path included in the 2 nd cell group in this order.
6. The fuel cell device according to claim 3 or 4,
electrically connecting the plurality of fuel cell units included in the 1 st unit cell group in series,
electrically connecting the plurality of fuel cell units included in the 2 nd cell group in series,
the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in series.
7. The fuel cell device according to claim 3 or 4,
electrically connecting the plurality of fuel cell units included in the 1 st unit cell group in series,
electrically connecting the plurality of fuel cell units included in the 2 nd cell group in series,
the 1 st cell group and the 2 nd cell group are electrically connected in parallel.
8. The fuel cell device according to claim 4, wherein the 1 st diverter has, when viewed in plan: two regions extending in a longitudinal direction of a cell group including a plurality of fuel cells, the plurality of fuel cells being arranged in a rectangular shape with respect to a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the fuel cells; and one region extending in the short-side direction of the cell group, wherein two regions extending in the long-side direction are connected to each other with the one region extending in the short-side direction interposed therebetween.
9. A fuel cell device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said 1 st diverter is formed of a plurality of diverters.
CN201711213433.5A 2016-12-02 2017-11-28 Fuel cell stack device and fuel cell device Active CN108155405B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2016235462 2016-12-02
JP2016-235462 2016-12-02
JP2017183330A JP7037312B2 (en) 2016-12-02 2017-09-25 Fuel cell cell stack device and solid oxide fuel cell device
JP2017-183330 2017-09-25

Publications (2)

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